Foundry plant



Aug. 21, 1923. 1,465.275

' J. B. LADD FOUNDRY PLANT Filed Nov. 5 1921 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Fig 1 'JQAQLWQ ATTORNEY Patented Aug. 21, i923.

means eater tries.

JAMES B. LADD, F ARDMOR'E, PENNSYLVANIA, ASSIGNOR TO UNITED STATES CAST IRON PIPE & FOUNDRY COMPANY, OF BURLINGTON, NEW JERSEY, A CORPORA- TION OF NEW JERSEY.

FOUNDRY PLANT.

Application filed November 5, 1921.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, JAMES B. LADD, a citizen of the United States of America, and resident of Ardmore, in the county of Montgomery, in the State of Pennsylvania, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Foundry Plants, of which the following is a true and exact description, reference being had to the accompanying draw- 19 in s, which form a part thereof.

My invention relates to a foundry plant for the centrifugal casting of pipe, my object bein to design aplant especially well adapted for the convenient, economical and efiicient handling of the molds.

The nature of my improvements will be best understood as described in the drawings in which they are illustrated and in which- Figure 1 is a plan view of such portion of 29 my foundry plant as lies underneath the overhead cranes, the location of the cranes being indicated by the lines of supporting columns.

' Figure 2 is a cross sectional view on the line 2-2 of Fig. 1.

Figure 3 a cross sectional view on the line 3-3 of Fig. 1 and Figure 4 a cross sectional view on the line 4-4 of Fig. 1.

A,A, etc., indicate the columnssupporting an overhead crane track indicated at AA' in Fig. 3, A being the movable part of the crane and A an electromagnet supported by the moving parts. B,B, etc., are the columns supportin the overhead crane track indicated at B, ig. 2, B indicating the movable parts of the crane and B an electromagnet supported thereby. QC, etc., are the columns supporting the overhead crane track indicated at C, Fig. 4, C indicating the movable parts of the crane and C an electromagnet supported thereby. D,D' are -drying racks for the molds lying within the operative reach of the crane B. E is a ramming machine for forming the sand lining of the mold flasks lyin to one side of the racks D,D and withln, t e operative reach of the crane B. F is a rotating mold supporting rack the rack supporting platforms FF' of which have formed upon their opposite faces racks F and F each adapted to hold a group of four flasks. F", Fig. 2, indicates a motor connected with a rotating rack and adapted to rotate the two Serial No. 512,981.

sets of racks backward and forward through an angle of 180 so that each will alternately be m flask receiving and delivery position and in a position to bring the flask within the operation of the ramming device.

On the opposite side of the ramming machine to that on which lies the racks DD I locate a flask receiving structure which as illustrated (see Figs. 1 and 2) comprises standards G,G, in which is pivotally supported a head G formed of a series of cavities indicated at G"Gr and are adapted to receive the end of a flask. Lying within a short distance of this rotatable head G is a flask receiving platform indicated at I. This platform being supported on a platform ram indicated at I and carrying track sections indicated at lithe vertical movement of the platform carrying the tracks above and below the flask receiving rollers indicated at H,H, which receive in the first place the flasks in a manner to be hereafter described. This flask receiving mechanism of necessity lies within the reach of the crane B. Extending in a line beneath the crane A are a series of centrifugal casting ma chines indicated at K, K, etc., and from the flask receiving device and between the casting machines and beyond the last castin machine are track sections J, J, J J 8 and J for the convenient deposit of flasks. Lying opposite the track sections J, J, J J 3 and J 4 are flask holding devices L,L, lying in line with pipe pulling mechanism indicated at M,M, etc., the function of which is to pull the cast pipes from the flask after the flask is delivered from the casting machine. N is a track section lying parallel to the line of casting machines and provided to support the pipes after they are drawn from the flasks. O is a track extending parallel to the line of casting machines between the crane C and a flask receiving structure P which is preferably a platform supported on a vertical arm P arranged to receive a group of pipes from the track 0 and properly space the group for handling by the crane B. Q,Q, etc., indicate flasks and R, Figs. 1, 3 and 4 indicate the cast pipes.

In operation a group of four flasks held on the delivery platform P is engaged and lifted by the magnet B of the crane B transporting to and delivering to the outer rack F of the rotatable double rack F this rack is then turned through an angle of 180 into registry with the ram mechanism and the group of four flasks rammed at the same time after the second group of four flasks is delivered by the crane to the rack F After the flasks are rammed they are turned back to receiving positioncwhich is also their delivery position and the crane B engages them and transports them to the drying racks D or D where they are properly dried. After drying, the flasks, still preferably in groups of four, are transported by the crane B to the receiving mechanism lying on the other side of the ramming machine, the lower ends of the flasks being lowered in the cavities of the rotatable head G which as the crane lets the flasks down rotates with the result that the grou of flasks is let down upon the rollers H, I" etc., from which they are lifted by the platform I from the tracks I of which the flasks are rolled off on to track section J. From the track section J the flasks are transported over the path of the crane A to the different centrifugal casting machines K, K, etc., in the arrangement illustrated. Flasks can be delivered to the first of the centrifugal machines by either of the cranes B or A but for the rest of the casting machines the flasks are necessarily handled by the crane A After the casting of the pipe the flasks are carried by the crane A to other various intermediate track sections J, J etc., and are placed with their ends abutting against the flask holding devices L, L, which lie opposite to pulling cylinders M, M, and the pipe ends being gripped by rods M the pipes are pulled out from the flasks and over to the receiving track N.

After the pulling of the pipe the flasks are transported by the crane A to the track section J where they are within reach of the crane C and are picked up and transported by this crane to the track 0 after which they can be rolled or otherwise transported and are conveniently delivered to the grouping platform P, ready to be handled by the crane B as already described.

A leading feature of my invention is the provision of meansfor handling the flasks 'in aligned and spaced groups, all flasks of the groups being held while being rammed, dried and transported in the same plane and that plane a vertical one, during the ramming and drying operations, and this feature of my invention is independent of the particular crane system used in handling the flasks.

Having now described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is:

1. A plant comprising in combination centrifugal casting machines using sandlined molds, a ramming machine adapted to groupin racks and to a receiving station for the casting machines.

2. A plant COHlPllSlIl" in combination centrifugabcasting machines using sandlined molds, a grouping device for aligning and spacing a number of unlined molds, a ramming machine adapted to act simulta neously on a group of aligned molds, one or more drying racks adapted to receive and hold in position aligned groups of molds and means for handling and transporting aligned groups of molds from the aligning and spacing device to and from the ramming machine and drying racks and to a receiving station for the casting machines.

3. A foundry plant 'for'the centrifugal casting of pipes comprising a ramming machine for lining flasks in combination With a drying rack situated at one side of the ramming machine and a receiving structure for prepared flasks situated at the other side of the ramming machine, a crane located to handle flasks to and from the ramming machine, to and from the rack and to the receiving structure, a second crane running at right angles to the first from the receiving structure, a series of centrifugal casting machines arranged beneath said second crane, a third'crane extending at right angles to the second from the end thereof,

-means for transporting flasks from the third too crane to a point in reach of the first crane and means for pulling the cast pipes from the molds.

4. A foundry plant for the centrifugal casting of pipes comprising a ramming machine for lining flasks incombination with a drying rack situated at one side of the ramming machine and a receiving structure for prepared flasks situated at the other side of the ramming machine, a crane located to handle flasks to and from the ramming machine, to and from the rackand to the receiving structure, a second crane running at right angles to the first from the receiving structure, a series of centrifugal casting machines arranged beneath said second crane, a third crane extending at right angles to the second from the end thereof, a device for flasks located within the reac of the first crane, means for transporting flasks from the third crane to said grouping device. I

5. A foundry plant for the centrifugal casting of pipes comprising a ramming machine for lining flasks in combination with a drying rack situated at one side of the ramming machine and a receiving structure for prepared flasks situated at the other side ofthe ramming machine, a crane located to handle flasks to and from the ramming machine, to and from the rack and to the receiving structure, a second crane running at right angles to the first from the receiving structure, a series of centrifugal casting machines arranged beneath said second crane, a third crane extending at right angles to the second from the end thereof, means for transporting flasks from the third crane to a point in reach of the first crane and a series of pipe pullin machines arranged in alternation with t ccasting machines.

J S B. LADD. 

